As Sisters in Fashion (updated!)
Tuesday, February 05, 2013 Fashion , Sister Missionary 4 Comments

Future sister missionaries, I've done my homework. For months I've been hunting down websites that are reliably modest because, let's be honest, the pickings can get pretty slim when you're a Mormon girl on a college (or high school) budget.

If you're not aware of the recently updated guidelines for sister missionary dress and grooming, you can find them on lds.org. (Or just click this link.)

To sum it all up:

-Keep clean. Take showers, wear deodorant, etc.
-Keep conservative. No overpowering perfume, makeup, hair colors, or clothing.
-Be modest (but cute)! Don't wear anything too loose, too tight, too sheer, too sloppy, too dirty, too wrinkly, too... Anything, really. Be conservative, remember?
-No cap sleeves.
-Skirts should fully cover the front and back of the knee while standing or sitting.
-White or cream-colored bras that are modest.
-Closed-toed and closed-heeled shoes.
-Earrings no longer than 1in below the earlobe.
-Remember, you are an ambassador of the Church and of Jesus Christ. Your appearance is the first thing people notice about you, and whether you like it or not they will judge you accordingly.

If you're confused about what any of these look like (except for the bra... You're on your own there) the Church website has really awesome, inspiring examples modeled by really awesome, inspiring sisters. Once you start looking you might start feeling a little envious, because these sisters look good, real good.

Never fear, however, for I've found 5 7 websites that might be selling just what you're looking for. From dresses and skirts to tops and accessories, every sister needs to make sure she's looking her best and feeling good.

Mikarose-

Dresses: The newest (and cutest) dresses hover in the $50-$60 range, so it's no Forever 21. However, there's nothing questionable about them: all of their dresses are 100% modest, although not all of them are sister missionary length.
Skirts: $25-$35. Again, I'm not sure how many are sister missionary length, but if you're still a ways away from getting that call, it might be worth it.
Tops: $15-$30. Most of the tops are at the higher end of the range, but there are a few tops on clearance that are under $15.
Accessories: Meh. There are a few bags that might be good mission bags, but the belts and necklaces are a little chunky and outdated.

MadeMod-

Dresses: Varies. I just discovered this website a few days ago, and it's a great place to start. Still, some of the brands that they show deserve more research.
^(New!)Skirts: Varies. They've recently added a skirts section, and pull from websites like J.Crew, Anthropologie, and ASOS. They're about 65% mission modest, 85% generally modest.

Shabby Apple-

Dresses: $35-$140. I'm sure you've heard of Shabby Apple. I'd consider this the high end portion of modest shopping, if only because I'm in college and the thought of spending $140 at one time on something other than groceries for the next two months seems exorbitant to me. However, these dresses are adorable, and most of them are very modest. If you're looking for that one standout dress for your mission, Shabby Apple might be the place to go.
Skirts: $60-$80. Now I've never bought anything from Shabby Apple, so I can't tell you how durable it is, but I would hope that for this price a Shabby Apple skirt would last at least half of your mission.
Tops: $30-$70. Yes. Just yes. So many cute blouses, so little money to spend.
Accessories: Varies. It goes from earrings to bracelets to hair clips to necklaces to Shoes (they're in the accessories part, for some reason) to belts to scarves to headbands to whatever else you could want out of the accessories section. As per Shabby Apple usual, everything is a bit on the expensive side, but it's also quite adorable.

Shade-

Shade is the inside joke of Mormon girls everywhere, but actually they've grown up a lot since their inception. And, a plus? Free shipping and returns.

Dresses: $25-$50. Length-wise, I don't know if you'll find much that works, but the dresses are pretty cute, in a simple way.

Skirts: $15-$30. I'd say that the Shade selection is about 1/3 mission modest, and the rest modest enough that you could wear it before/after the mish.

Tops: $15-$35. Shade is most well-known for their layering tops (for those cute tanks or low cut shirts that need a little extra modesty) but they actually have quite a few cute standalone tops that are, of course, mission modest (mostly). They've also got a lot of sweaters if you're going somewhere on the colder side, and cute blazers too.

Outerwear: $25-$50. Their jackets and outerwear are definitely not made for sisters in Russia or Alaska, but they have a decent selection of lighter jackets and vests for early spring days.

Accessories: $10-$25. By accessories, Shade means scarves. Their entire "accessories" section is scarves. Cute scarves, but just scarves.

Junie Blake-

This is actually a new discovery for me, which I found while I was researching for this post. The selection is still small (I'm assuming this is a new line) but it's pretty cute, nonetheless.

Dresses: $45-$65. I can't decide if these would be long enough for a mission or not, but they're long enough for just a regular Mormon girl looking for a cute dress. It's a little pricey for me, and I can't tell you whether they're good quality or not, but hey. They're modest.

Skirts: $40 & $50. Same thing. May or may not be long enough.

Tops: $35. They only have one top (in three different colors). 'Nuff said. But it is modest.

Accessories: $10-$25. A few scarves, two bracelets, two statement necklaces (same necklace, different colors).

Sis Miss -

This is somewhat along the lines of Junie Blake, but better because it's a website specifically for sister missionary fashion, so you know that they're making sure it meets sister missionary modesty standards. They don't have much of a selection yet, but I bet that if we start buying things that they'll start coming out with new items. :) They have tops, blazers, cardigans, coats, and accessories, and the price range is usually between $25-$35 (a little more for the heavy outdoor coats).

Bonus: okay, okay, I'll tell you my favorite clothing website. But don't buy out their stock (before I can)! They are classy, well-made, and very much modest about 85% of the time. I'm madly in love.
Boden